Wahconah Uses 14-Run Inning to Pull Away from Mount Greylock

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – Kenadi Arnhold drove in six runs, and the Wahconah softball team Sunday scored 30 runs for the second time in four days, beating Mount Greylock 30-10.

 

It was Wahconah’s third straight game scoring in double digits and its fourth straight win overall to improve to 7-4.

 

Coach Dustin Belcher was happy to see his team finish the game strong, retiring six of the last seven Mounties to come to the plate and turning a 4-6-3 double play in the bottom of the fifth.

 

“Mount Greylock is a very good hitting team,” Belcher said. “They put the ball in play. They swing the bats. We knew that. … And I thought we did a pretty good job of making some plays behind our pitching. Sammie [Kaley] came in and had some good stuff there at the end. 

 

“Kids stay in it, because they also focus on the fact that we’re trying to get better on every pitch. We’re a young team. We want to be playing our best softball at the end of the year, hopefully for post-season. So I think they did a good job.”

 

Kaley threw two innings in relief of Marlee Arnhold.

 

Arnhold allowed eight runs, but just two earned runs, while striking out a pair in three innings of work. Kaley gave up a pair of runs in the fourth before settling in and not allowing another runner past first base.

 

Mount Greylock (2-6) came into the game riding high after coming back to beat Drury on Friday.

 

And the Mounties got a big lift defensively in the top of the first when center fielder Mila Marcisz reached over the fence to bring back a potential three-run home run and end the inning without a runner crossing the plate.

 

In the bottom of the first, Marcisz singled to lead off and eventually scored on Kayleigh Jaros’ sacrifice fly to give Mount Greylock a 1-0 lead.

 

Wahconah answered with six in the top of the second, when Kenadi Arnhold cleared the bases with a three-run single, and Hannah Talora doubled in a run.

 

But Mount Greylock scored five in the bottom of the second to tie the game, 6-6.

 

A.J. Pelkey hit the first of her doubles to drive in three runs, and Marcisz and Jaros each drove in a run in the rally.

 

The hits kept coming in the top of the third, when Wahconah scored six more off Mount Greylock’s third pitcher of the afternoon.

 

“We have no pitchers with any varsity experience, not even really JV experience,” Mount Greylock coach Mark Pierson said. “So they’re kind of learning on the job. And however throws well keeps going.

 

“We’re giving them all a chance to work hard in practice. And we’re hopeful that somebody’s going to step up, one or two girls are going to step up. And we’ll get it before the end of the year, for sure.”

 

Pierson sent four pitchers to the circle after starter Madi Barber. Kayleigh Jaros had the best outing statistically, not allowing an earned run in her one inning of work.

 

After Wahconah’s six-run third to retake the lead at 12-6, Mount Greylock was able to chip away in the bottom of the inning when Addy Pause walked and eventually scored on a pitch to the backstop, and Sadie Stuebner hit a sacrifice fly to left to make it 12-8.

 

But Wahconah put the game out of reach with a 14-run fourth inning that saw Mounties pitchers give out nine walks and a hit batter. The offensive highlight came from Marlee Arnhold, who drove in a pair with a single up the middle.

 

In the fifth, Wahconah tacked on four more runs, two scoring on a double by Elena Iovieno.

 

Mount Greylock, which scored five times in the bottom of the seventh to beat Drury on Friday, kept battling on Sunday, scoring two in the bottom of the fourth and starting the fifth with a leadoff single by Stuebner.

 

But Kaley got the next hitter to ground to second, and Wahconah turned the game’s only double play.

 

“That was awesome at the end,” Belcher said. “It’s something you work on every day in practice, and you don’t get a lot of chances. And when you do and you’re able to capitalize, it feels good.

 

“PItcher’s going crazy for ‘em, and it kind of picks everybody up.”

 

Wahconah gets one day to practice on Monday before it welcomes Taconic on Tuesday night.

 

Mount Greylock is home on Tuesday against Frontier.

 

Photos from this game come.